I recently was promoted to Volunteer Coordinator for a small hospice in Colorado. For the past 2 years I have worked in the office and also as a volunteer. What I have noticed, is that most patients say they don't want a volunteer and if we cannot assign a volunteer to a patient within a reasonable period of time, we lose the volunteer.
Open to all suggestions. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Ellen Schattner
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Replies
Hi Ellen: What I have found is that patients and families may not want a volunteer initially. So much going on, thinking about 1 more person in the home is more than they can handle. So I have members of the team ask again a week or two after admission... and then once in awhile after that. Volunteers can enter the situation at any point for either a 1-time visit or regular weekly visit. There is a lot of flexibility in how volunteers are used. For example, this time of year we have volunteers working on lots of admin tasks; & our annual Light Up a Life ceremony at our hospital. I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'losing the volunteer' - is it that they lose interest in hospice because they don't have a patient to see? We had a big drop in our census this year due to hospital cutbacks and I just kept in touch with the volunteers through the newsletter, monthly meetings, random 'how are you' calls etc. Keep reminding them what value they add to the whole team just by being available. Does this help??
Siri Khalsa
Volunteer Coordinator
Gila Regional Medical Center's Hospice Services.
Silver City, New Mexico
Hi Ellen,
My experience is similar to Frances (loved the story Frances!!). As I am sure you know, many patients and their families have never heard of hospice or palliative care, let alone a hospice or palliative care volunteer. I believe some education is necessary to help them understand the role of the volunteer.
There are many ways to assist the family, which can be indirect to assisting the patient directly. Respite is a good one that gets the volunteer in the door and then gives them the opportunity to get familiar with the family. Frances' first example is good one.
It takes me sometimes a month of weekly visits before the patient becomes comfortable with me. It takes that long to develop some trust. It can happen quicker. Clearly Frances was able to connect quickly with her patient.
So in summary Ellen, you need to educate the family up front as to the purpose of the volunteer. Nothing can be assumed. Then perhaps collaborate with them on ways to help the patient get introduced to the volunteer in more subtle ways if they seem averse at first.
I also make it a point myself to let families know that I am specially trained to assist them in supporting the family up until and after the death of their loved one. The volunteer's value is especially significant as death approaches. Having someone experienced that has been there before and is trusted by the family can be so useful to them, including the patient. I have had situations when I was first doing volunteering in people's homes that once the patient could no longer get out of bed, then it was assumed they could not "entertain" the volunteer and so I was told there was no point in coming anymore.
Greg Schneider
President, HVA
HCF Creator
Great information that I will use. As our census is also low, some of the volunteers have pursued other volunteer positions (not in Hospice). We are a relatively small Hospice and do not have much work for a volunteer in the office.
I was thinking of having some of the volunteers distribute small holiday gifts to each of our patients. What, if anything, do you do for the patients at the holidays?
Thank you for your support - this is a challenging and very exciting position for me.
Ellen Schattner
VC Compassionate Hospice Care
Our hospice doesn't do anything specific for patients during the holidays. But I like the idea. We do provide a deli tray for the family from a local restaurant after a patient passes.
I'm so glad you are passionate about your role in the team. Good luck!
Ellen, I have found that patients who say they don't want a volunteer often change their minds after trying one out, even for a day. These are two examples that actually happened to me.
1) One white man, a patient in a Detroit predominantly African American nursing home, said he didn't want an African American hospice volunteer. The volunteer coordinator informed me in advance and asked if I would take the assignment. I said that I would try it out. The first day I met him, I asked him about this to clear the air. He stated he was entitled to his preferences just like everyone prefers some things more than others. He also made it clear that he was working on trying to find a nursing home in a mostly white area. We talked about many things that day, including his lung cancer, life in the service, his family, hobbies, etc. When it was time for me to leave, I asked if he wanted me to return and he said he did.
After a few weeks of wheelchair rides, good times, etc., he was hollering out to everybody that I was his wife when we rode though the lobby. When I showed up, he'd always smile and say he'd been looking forward to my visit. Months later after his transfer to the nursing home in a mostly white area was finalized, he begged me to go with him as a volunteer there. He even offered to pay my gas, which I declined, explaining that my commitment was to work in Detroit which was closer and where I was needed most.
2) The story of another patient who didn't want me as a volunteer can be explained best on my blog post titled "Who Wants a Hospice-Palliative Care Volunteer?" Research on this topic is also included. I hope these comments have helped you.
http://hospiceandnursinghomes.blogspot.com/2009/03/who-wants-hospic...
Happy endings,
Frances Shani Parker
http://www.francesshaniparker.com/
I want to add some clarification on racial matters because occasionally I am involved in social media discussions with nursing home and other healthcare staff members (not involving volunteers) who feel they are obligated to accommodate patients' racial-ethnic preferences regarding who can care for them, especially if patients are elderly and dying. These staff members may unknowingly be courting future lawsuits they will lose. There are numerous examples.
There is a fine line between accommodating a patient and discrimination against an employee. Staff members could be in violation of Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals against employee discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion. This law includes employment, termination, promotion, compensation, job training, and other conditions or privileges. Healthcare workers should be informed about this law. For more information, visit this website: http://www.eeoc.gov